A South African perspective of work-integrated learning and HIV/AIDS workplace orientation

Abstract

Work integrated learning (WIL) aims to enable students to shift easily into their chosen profession upon graduation. WIL lends value to the learning process and has resulted in it becoming far more strategic within Universities of Technology (UoT’s) in South Africa. However, students entering the workplace are only afforded access to particular kinds of workplace experiences and possibly not those that are sufficient for the development of comprehensive workplace knowledge. The notion of employee orientation is of utmost importance to any student entering the workplace, more particularly employee orientation that provides information on policies and procedures regarding HIV/AIDS in the workplace. The overall objective of this study was to examine the perceived appropriateness and effectiveness of WIL students’ experiences regarding workplace orientation on HIV/AIDS. A quantitative approach was employed for this study. The study was conducted among final year public relations students completing their work-integrated learning. Findings reflected that majority of the students did not go through a formal orientation process and they were inadequately equipped to deal with HIV and AIDS in the workplace. Research implications for improving formalized workplace orientation on HIV and AIDS are reflected upon.